Readers often ask where the inspiration for a character comes from. I always
point to history books and old photographs. Here is the real Red Shirt. Born along Nebraska’s Platte River in the
1830’s to an Indian mother and white father, he is something of an enigma. I
discovered him 20 years ago while researching the Oglala/Lakota (Sioux) Indians
for a Dances With Wolves type novel. He identified with the Lakota and
lived free till his people were placed on reservations. He and his wife, Pretty
Woman, had several children. The photo shows him (far right) accompanying the
famous chief, Red Cloud, in a delegation to Washington DC. Later, he joined
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and then faded from history. There’s a simple
grave at the Rosebud Cemetery that bears his name in South Dakota. I’ve not
been there but I’d like to go.
I’ve carried him around in my head and heart for a long time:) Of course, I had
to alter him a bit for my book. He had to leave the Sioux and become Shawnee.
And Pretty Woman was a thing of the past! I also had to tweak his name to fit
into the historical context of the 18th-century. Most importantly, my Red Shirt
found freedom in Christ as well as freedom to exist where he pleased. Literary
license is a fine thing. Every reader will have a different picture of him in
their head and heart, too.
What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is
the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs
across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. ~Crowfoot
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was torn apart by raiding Shawnee warriors. Now that she is nearly a grown
woman and her father is ailing, she must make difficult choices about the
future. Several men–ranging from the undesired to the unthinkable–vie for her
attentions, but she finds herself inexplicably drawn to a forbidden love that
both terrifies and intrigues her. Can she betray the memory of her lost loved
ones–and garner suspicion from her friends–by pursuing a life with him? Or
should she seal her own misery by marrying a man she doesn’t love? This
sweeping tale of romance and forgiveness will envelop readers as it takes them
from a Kentucky fort through the vast wilderness to the west in search of true
love.
Like you, I don't often know that they're mixing the two! I don't mind if I do know–unless it's some big huge thing that seems blatantly wrong–but it is nice also when the author acknowledges this literary license in the notes so you know she's being creative and not just lazy.
I've read Love's Reckoning and it was great, so looking forward to this book (I bought it awhile back but it's still in my TBR pile! Grrr.).
I LOVE when I read a book that has some fact misxed in with fiction. Will add this book to my list!
It seems like all I know about history (and Navy SEALs,and space travel, LOL) came from the pages of a romance novel…thank God for ya'll who write it!
I LOVE historical romance…I especially love it when the history is weaved in seamlessly and organically into the story…which is exactly how Laura Frantz's books are. LOVE her books.
Just like older movies are often more romantic because they have to imply rather than just tell, these historical fiction books can be the same way. Great interview!
Historical romances are my absolute favorite genre! Love the history, love the settings, love the romance. Sigh.
'Courting Morrow Little' is one of my favorite historical novels! Enjoyed reading a little history of the real Red Shirt. Thanks for sharing Laura.
Jessica – Love books that combine the two. LOVE them.
And Laura – Red Shirt and Pretty Woman. How could you NOT carve a story out of characters like that? Absolutely perfect. And what a struggle poor Morrow had to face – wonderful, wonderful book.
I'd better like stories that mix fact and fiction, cuz I wrote one!
I'll have to give this novel a go, it sounds very intriguing!
Oh, I forgot add, mine has the rather scandalous romance of a white woman and a Navajo man, hmmmm, sounds like a theme here…
I do like stories that mix fact and fiction. Makes 'em seem more real, in a way. I like the historical reads in general.
Oh my, I am SO late to the party! Jessica, huge apologies! I thought I was on for February (red faced here) and I am so thankful for you all and your wonderful comments! Love hearing what makes historical fiction tick for you. I wish I could write contemp or another genre but am afraid my head and heart are stuck in the olden days:) Bless you all – and happy reading!